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WICHITA — Topeka High senior 195-pounder Austin Tillman was proud of the effort he gave in Friday night's Class 6A semifinal against Gardner-Edgerton junior Seth Pesek, the defending state champ.

But for the first time all season, the Trojan standout didn't quite have enough to come out on top, with Pesek improving to a perfect 31-0 with an 8-5 decision, handing Tillman his first loss after 25 straight wins.

"I came out strong, he came out a little bit stronger,'' Tillman said. "I'm disappointed, but you can't dwell on it. I'll let it go, come back tomorrow ready to go and ready to take third.

"It's tough, but so is life. Life goes on and I'll move on.''

Obviously, Topeka High coach Erich Singer would have liked to have seen the Tillman-Pesek match in the state finals, with the two coming in as the only unbeaten wrestlers in the weight class, but he made no excuses for the loss.

"You've got to wrestle them some time,'' Singer said. "Austin gave it everything he had. It's a guy who's a returning state champ and I'm very proud of (Austin) and hopefully he can come back and take third tomorrow.

"He's got business to take care of and it's times like these that you find out what a guy's really made of. He's disappointed but I couldn't be any more proud of him for his approach this season and for the way he gave 100 percent effort in that match.''

Tillman opened his day with a pin of Olathe East sophomore Austin Lasswell just 1:38 into the first round. The Trojan standout then earned a 10-5 quarterfinal decision over Blue Valley Northwest junior Foster Jacobs. Jacobs entered that match with a glossy 32-10 record.

Pesek also got off to a dominant start, recording two first-period pins.

■ Washburn Rural, which had seven state qualifiers, got the state meet off to a solid start Friday, with the Junior Blues winning their first three matches en route to a 4-3 record in the first round.

Things got tough in the quarterfinals, however, with Maxville, Stintdt and Quy all taking losses. All three wrestlers will continue their bids for state medals in 9 a.m. consolation matches on Saturday.

Rural 182-pound senior Aaron Davis and 220-pound junior Jacob Nemechek are still alive after bouncing back from first-round losses to win their first consolation matches.

■ Five Centennial League wrestlers advanced to the 6A finals, including three from league champ Junction City.